Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli kicked off team after citation for marijuana possession

Quarterback Jeremiah
Masoli, the community college transfer who arrived in Eugene as a fifth-stringer and blossomed into the star who led Oregon to its first Rose Bowl appearance in 15 years, was kicked off the Ducks team Wednesday after derailing his college career with a second legal incident in six months.

According to Sgt. Tom Borchers, Masoli was stopped by Springfield police at 9:17 p.m. Monday at the intersection
of Kruse Way and Hutton Street after exiting a driveway without stopping. Upon inspection, the officer cited Masoli for possession of one ounce or less of marijuana and driving with a suspended license in addition to failure to stop.

Although the traffic-stop charges are non-criminal and carry only fines if he is convicted, it was not immediately clear how they could affect the year-long probation Masoli began serving after in
March to a second-degree burglary charge. That case, in which a felony was bargained down to a misdemeanor, stemmed from Masoli and former wide receiver Garrett Embry stealing laptop computers and other items from the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house in Eugene on Jan. 24.

On March 12, hours after Masoli admitted his guilt in the burglary, head coach Chip Kelly suspended the would-be Heisman Trophy candidate for the 2010 season.

Multiple calls on Wednesday to Alex Gardner, the Lane County district attorney who prosecuted the burglary case, and John Kim, Masoli's attorney in the burglary case, were not returned.

Calls to the Masoli family also were not returned. The athletic department has kept Masoli off-limits to the media since the burglary news broke in January.

On Wednesday, after news of the marijuana arrest emerged, the Ducks announced Masoli had been dismissed from the team for "failure to adhere to obligations previously outlined" by Kelly.

"He knew what he had at stake," Kelly told The Oregonian. "We set parameters for him and it was up to him to make sure that he followed through.

"We had a plan in place, he had an opportunity to come back in 2011 and he failed to do the things that he needed to do."

Borchers, the Springfield police sergeant, said there was another person in the car with Masoli when it was stopped Monday. The police log from that night misspells that passenger's name but lists the correct birthdate for Darron Thomas, the sophomore quarterback who is competing with Nate Costa to succeed Masoli as the starter.

Asked about Thomas' involvement, Kelly stressed that Thomas, as police concur, has not been charged with anything.

Masoli led Oregon to 10-3 records each of the past two seasons and its first Rose Bowl appearance in 15 years in 2009. He was selected a second-team all-league choice by the Pacific-10 Conference coaches last season after completing 177 of 305 passes for 15 touchdowns and six interceptions, in addition to running for 668 yards and 13 scores.

The San Francisco native finishes his Oregon career as the school's all-time rushing leader among quarterbacks (1,386 yards) and ninth on the program's career total offense chart (5,277 yards).

UO athletic department spokesman David Williford said Masoli's dismissal from the team as the academic year concludes means his scholarship is no longer active. Should he transfer to another program, Masoli will have one season of eligibility remaining.

Before possibly playing football for another program, however, he's scheduled to appear in Springfield municipal court at 8 a.m. June 24. He can avoid that court date if he choses to pay the fines in advance.